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Re-Solving and Resolutions

With the new year on our doorstep, conversations naturally turn to resolutions and whether or not you're making any.

Resolution is a word that has always intrigued me. You can make a resolution just as many are doing for the new year. You can come to a resolution for a challenge or problem that has vexed you. And in reality that's what many of the resolutions people make attempt to do: resolve some aspect of their individual or organizational life they hope to bring to a different conclusion.

Many say that doing so just takes more resolve, being more resolute. But if we look at a slight variation of the word resolve, we get re - solve, an attempt (or need) to solve again an enduring problem or challenge.

Trying the same solution with greater resolve or simply being more resolute will not achieve a resolution for your resolution.

If you find yourself, either individually or organizationally, looking to re-solve the same issue repeatedly, you may need to direct your attention deeper. You likely need to think more systemically about why this same issue recurs. What beliefs, mindsets, policies, procedures, or practices help perpetuate the same behaviors or outcomes, the ones you want to change?

Direct your attention, your ambition, and your resolve at those levels and perhaps when 2010 comes to a close, the issue at hand will no longer need re-solving.

I once did many things for many people: strategy, speaking, program development, workshop design and more. While on extended sabbatical writing "Say Yes Less" and "A Manifesto for Macro-Management" I still do a limited number of keynotes and extended length workshops on facilitation and other core leadership topics.